Washing machines



Sept. 20, 1955 w. c. BELL WASHING MACHINES Filed Jan. 24, 1951 Q In z/enzars Attorney United States Patent WASHING MACHINES William Charlton Bell, Perivale, Greenford, England, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 24, 1951, Serial No. 207,470

2 Claims. (Cl. 68-131) This invention relates to washing machines of the type comprising a continuously rotating power-driven impeller mounted in a container for washing liquid, and is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to washing machines of the type comprising a continuously rotating disc-like impeller mounted close to a side wall of the container with its aixs approximately horizontal.

According to the present invention such a machine embodies means for readily varying the intensity of the washing action.

It is found that the optimum amount of what may be termed washing energy, depending upon the intensity of the washing action and the time it is allowed to act, varies in accordance with the particular charge of clothes, depending both upon the quantity and the quality of the latter. With very delicate fabrics it is desirable to reduce the washing energy to a value considerably less than that required with stronger fabrics in a dirtier condition. Similarly with a heavy load more washing energy is needed for satisfactory results than is the case with a light load. Moreover, in certain cases it is preferable to vary the intensity of the washing action instead of or in addition to varying the time of treatment.

According to the present invention, the impeller may be in the form of a disc having vanes projecting axially from one face thereof and provided with agitating surfaces which lead and trail with respect to a given direction of rotation of the impeller and are inclined at different angles with respect to the plane of the impeller whereby the washing action may be varied in intensity by reversing the direction of rotation of the impeller which varies the inclination of the leadng faces of the agitating elements.

The invention may be carried into practice in many different ways but one specific embodiment will be briefly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation of a washing machine with a reversible motor and an impeller which is asymmetrical about its axis of rotation,

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the impeller of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure ,2.

In the arrangement shown in the drawings the invention is illustrated as applied to a Washing machine as described in the specification of the United States Patent No. 2,478,188 and Application Serial No. 7,378 filed February 10, 1948, for Washing Machines by W. C. Bell et al., now Patent No. 2,664,730 of January 5, 1954. The machine comprises a container A for washing liquid which is of generally rectangular form in plan and in end elevation as shown in Figure 1, Whilst in side elevation it is in the form of a rectangle with one corner cut off. Accordingly the bottom wall A extends from one end wall to about the middle of the container, whence an inclined wall A slopes gradually at an angle of some 45 to the other end wall A In one side wall A a disc-like impeller B is mounted at a point where it will be completely submerged in liquid. This impeller is in the form ofa disc having on its face a number, for example six,

2,718,135 Patented Sept, 20, 1955 P ceof equally spaced radial ribs of smoothly curved cross section. The impeller is mounted on'a horizontal shaft B so as to lie partly within a recess A formed by pressing .orotherwise in the wall A of thecontainer. At its outer end the shaft carries a pulley B through which it is driven from an electric motor C through a pulley C and belt C The container A for washing liquid, and the motor C are both enclosed within an outer casing D, the motor being arranged in the bottom of the casing underneath the container A.

Whereas in the previous constructions referred to above the cross-section of each rib of the impeller was symmetrical about its centre line, so that both flanks were equally inclined to the plane of the disc, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 one fiank slopes more steeply than the other. For example as shown in Figure 3 the impeller B is formed with six radial ribs B of each of which one flank B is inclined at about 35 to the plane of the disc whilst the other flank B slopes much more steeply and is inclined at between 60 and 70 to that plane.

Means is provided for readily reversing the direction of rotation of the impeller, conveniently by providing a reversing switch E for the driving motor. Accordingly when the motor is rotating in one direction the steep sides of the ribs will be the leading sides, whereas when it is rotating in the opposite direction the more gently inclined sides will be leading. In addition the direction of rotation will be reversed in relation to the cut-off corner of the container. Accordingly the Washing characteristics will be altered and in general a more powerful and vigorous washing action will be obtained in one direction of rotation than in the other. In general it is found that with the steep sides trailing the action is more vigorous than with the steep sides leading. In any case the particular washing characteristics can be chosen to suit the particular load being washed, the more vigorous washing being employed for heavy loads and strong fabrics whist a gentler action is adopted for light loads or delicate fabllCS.

It will be appreciated that the impeller may take many other forms, for example the projections on the disc need not be straight radial ribs but may be curved or may comprise separate protuberances. Again the disc may be perforated or the impeller may take the form of a spider having a number of separate projecting fingers, although it is preferred that there should be a continuous circumferential portion extending round the impeller at or near its periphery to prevent entanglement with the clothes.

What is claimed is:

1. In a washing machine, a container for washing liquid, an impeller rotatably mounted in a wall of said container to contact and agitate clothing and washing liquid in the container, said impeller comprising a disc-like body having radially extending axially projecting ribs on the face thereof directed into the container, said ribs having leading and trailing side faces with respect to a given direction of rotation inclined at different angles to the plane of the body portion whereby continuous rotation imparted to the impeller in one direction will produce a washing action different from that produced by continuous rotation of the impeller in the opposite direction, and means for imparting continuous rotation to the impeller in either direction of rotation including manually operable control means for establishing the direction of the continuous rotation to be imparted to the impeller during each washing operation to establish the type of such washing operation.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said motion imparting means and said control means includes a reversible electric drive motor and a manually operable reversing and energizing switch connected to said motor to control the operation thereof;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 Kraney Apr. 29, 1930 Stienen Q. May 31, 1938 Labisky Oct. 13, 1942 Scheele Mar. 2, 1943 Jacobs Nov. 21, 1944 Graham Sept. 17, 1946 Gibson Aug. 9, 1949 Castner May 20, 1952 

